Jackets top Sabres to inch closer to Metro summit
COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Kyle Quincey and Cam Atkinson scored first-period goals, and Sergei Bobrovsky continued his hot goaltending to lead the Columbus Blue Jackets to a 3-1 victory over the Buffalo Sabres on Tuesday.
Following an overtime loss last week to the Metropolitan Division-leading Washington Capitals, the Blue Jackets (49-19-7) won their second straight to reach 105 points. The Blue Jackets broke a second-place tie with idle Pittsburgh and are chasing the Capitals for supremacy in the division, Eastern Conference and for the Presidents' Trophy.
Buffalo (32-33-12) was trying to play spoiler for the third straight game, coming off wins over playoff hopefuls Toronto and Florida. The Sabres kept it close until Brandon Saad's empty-netter at 18:55 of the third period.
Bobrovsky's scoreless streak was stopped at 109 minutes, 14 seconds in the second period. But the league leader in goals-against average stopped 41 shots. Buffalo's Anders Nilsson stopped 26 shots.
Columbus was scoreless on three power-play opportunities and is 0-for-12 in their past seven games.
Columbus dominated the final minutes of the first period to take a 2-0 lead. Quincey scored his first goal as a Blue Jacket and fifth of the season at 14:47. The Sabres cleared the puck away from the net but it went right to Quincey just above the left circle and he sent right back into the net.
Quincey came to the Blue Jackets from New Jersey on March 1 in a trade for Dalton Prout.
Three minutes later, Seth Jones rushed the puck through traffic up the middle and passed to a wide-open Atkinson on the right wing for a quick shot and 2-0 lead and Atkinson's team-high 34th goal.
The Sabres' league-best power play made it 2-1 at 10:53 of the second on Evan Rodrigues' fourth goal, a one-timer from the left circle.
NOTES: Jackets G Sergei Bobrovsky is the team's nominee for the Bill Masterson Memorial Trophy. A player for each team is nominated. The award is given to the player who best exemplifies the qualities of perseverance, sportsmanship and dedication to hockey. Bobrovsky, 28, has set a club record and career high for wins this season (41) after battling injuries for the past three seasons. ... Tuesday was the start of the Jackets' final eight games, including two stretches of three games in four days. They also play the three of the top four teams in the league (Washington, Pittsburgh, Chicago). ... Sabres RW Kyle Okposo was a scratch due to illness, according to Sabres coach Dan Bylsma. LW Nicolas Deslauriers, who sat the past five games as a healthy scratch, returned to the lineup. ... The Sabres 25.3 percent scoring rate on the power play ranks as the third-best conversion rate in franchise history.